SKOWHEGAN -- A stroll through Skowhegan's history will be featured on a documentary film paid for with a $5,000 grant to the Skowhegan History House Association.

The grant, awarded by the Maine Community Foundation, will fund the archive-quality film featuring the Skowhegan History House collection on Elm Street and a guided tour within it by curator Lee Granville, said Melvin Burnham, a member of the association's board.

"We're trying to document some of the knowledge this man carries around in his head," Burnham said of Granville.

Burnham said the documentary also will be used as an orientation and training tool for current and future board members, and as an educational-outreach tool to bring local history to area schools and groups.

"This goal is especially important since some student visits have been curtailed by transportation cuts in our school districts," Burnham said.

Catama Film and Video of South Portland has been contracted to complete the project, Burnham said. Catama Productions has been shooting film and video throughout North America and Mexico since 1988 from helicopters, boats, hot-air balloons, cars and various cranes and dollies, he said.

"They're the ones who shot those tobacco commercials with little kids in them -- about children's health and well-being," Burnham said.

"We want them to shoot the boardwalk (wood sidewalk) and some of the old homes (on Elm Street) to give a definition of where the History House is."

The film company has produced award-winning national and local television commercials, corporate films, events and other programming, said Burnham. The company's work has appeared on HBO, The History Channel, PBS and other stations.

Burnham said the project will benefit from the fact that Allen Baldwin, the cinematographer-director, grew up in this community.

"He is excited to work on this project because the Skowhegan History House left an impression on him when he visited it as a student," Burnham said.

Association directors, meanwhile, have been working to develop a pre-production map.

Burnham said the mission of the Skowhegan History House is to protect and preserve its 19th-century collection, help researchers and genealogists, provide community-based exhibits and work with schools, museums and historical societies to promote the region's cultural history.

"This archive-quality documentary will greatly assist in achieving the mission," said Burnham, who expects the project to be completed by May 2009.

Darla L. Pickett -- 474-9534, Ext. 341

dpickett@centralmaine.com